Jim Hanson of Fernley gambles while his girlfriend, Connie Troyan, watches on Tuesday at the Fernley Nugget. The nonsmoking casino opened about a month ago.

Written by

He's a businessman, owner of seven gaming properties in Northern Nevada outside of the Reno-Tahoe corridor.

He opened his nonsmoking Fernley Nugget almost a month ago because he thought it would make a good business. It goes against the wisdom of Nevada gaming operators, who can point to losses of revenue in Atlantic City, Delaware and Illinois where smoking bans have been placed on casinos and other gaming establishments. ...